Stunned
By Philip J. Malebranche
(The following was inspired by a CNN
advertisement placed in the New York Times on 4 November
2008.)
There is a
moment, a simple moment, when a man sees a woman and wants to
record his new history. The view of her unsettles him, stuns
him, and he is changed. He is impelled to pick up a pen or tap
at a keyboard to transform his emotions into words. He might
endeavor to describe the aspects of her physique that please him or
inspire awe. He might wonder for long weeks why she dominates
his thinking. What is it about her that engenders new
actions?
There is a moment when the future lives in his mind. It
becomes real. She becomes real, though she is far
away. The rustling of leaves, or bed sheets, tickles his
ear. The duet of desperate breathing arouses him. Then he
can assume his place in her--and live for that moment forever.